


This is Not Some Kind of Wonderful

by firequakes



Category: Super Junior, 소녀시대 | Girls' Generation | SNSD
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Developing Relationship, F/M, Falling In Love, Love Triangles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-10-11
Updated: 2011-10-11
Packaged: 2019-07-06 09:18:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15883122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/firequakes/pseuds/firequakes
Summary: Hyukjae is fascinated with the way Tiffany’s face lights up when she smiles.





	This is Not Some Kind of Wonderful

**Author's Note:**

> the title is an out and out reference to [some kind of wonderful](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Some_Kind_of_Wonderful_%28film%29), which is one of those 80's john hughes films. skim through the wiki if you haven't seen/want, because the characters are directly mentioned in one part of the story.

 

 

“Oh. Hi?” Hyukjae smiles sheepishly at the girl who opens the door for him. He has no idea who she is. Maybe he’s dreaming? It’s so early in the morning, he can barely tell if he’s awake.  
  
The smile she gives back is warm and inviting, her eyes crinkling into half-moons.  
  
“Are you looking for Hyoyeon?” She asks him. “Is she expecting you?”  
  
Hyukjae nods mutely. “Uh, she should be,” he stammers.  
  
“Oh!” The girl claps her hands, as if a realisation has just hit her. Her smile widens, and her eyes almost vanish completely. “You’re Hyukjae!”  
  
He nods again. “Yep, that’s me.”  
  
“She should be out soon, she just got out of the bath when you—” She’s cut off by Hyoyeon who peeks out from her bedroom, completely visible from the front door, and only in her underwear.  
  
“I’m almost done!” She cries out.  
  
Hyukjae looks down, not wanting to ogle Hyoyeon or any of her visible curves, and the girl at the door laughs—a little musically, Hyukjae thinks to himself.  
  
“I’m Tiffany,” she finally introduces herself. “Do you want to come inside for a few minutes?”  
  
“Oh you’re the new roommate!” Hyukjae exclaims, a little slow on the uptake as usual.  
  
“Mhm,” Tiffany nods, still all smiles. “Come in for a bit.”  
  
She steps aside to make room for Hyukjae to pass through, but Hyoyeon suddenly rushes out her room at that very moment, grabbing Hyukjae’s arm and ushering both of them outside.  
  
“We’re late!” She screeches, hurriedly tying her hair into a messy ponytail. “See you later, Tiffany! Just help yourself to anything in the kitchen!”  
  
Hyukjae gives Tiffany one last, apologetic half-smile, half-shrug before rushing off after Hyoyeon. He barely catches the hand wave Tiffany sends after them.  
  
  
  
  
“I still can’t believe you convinced me to take a 7AM class,” Hyukjae groans as he and Hyoyeon walk out of their classroom's building.  
  
Hyoyeon puts on a pair of sunglasses. “The sun is so bright,” she mutters.  
  
“This is all on you though,” Hyukjae reminds her, like he’s done every other day, during the last month and a half since the semester started.  
  
Hyoyeon ignores him, her eyes trained on the coffee cart in the middle of the quad. She makes a beeline straight for it, and Hyukjae just sighs and trudges after her. He stops and parks himself on a bench they pass by on their way, motioning for her to go on ahead.  
  
When Hyoyeon returns to him, she has a tall, hot latte in hand.  
  
“Move over,” she orders him, giving him a half-assed kick on the shins.  
  
Hyukjae scoots over, and she plops down beside him, sipping her coffee.  
  
“So, your new roommate,” he begins to say, once he feels that Hyoyeon is somewhat properly energized.  
  
“Is  _not_  for you,” Hyoyeon cuts him off.  
  
He laughs. “What did I say? I haven’t even said anything yet!”  
  
Hyoyeon snorts. “You don’t have to say anything, the look on your face was enough.”  
  
“What—” Hyukjae stares at her, mouth agape.  
  
She just shrugs, smiles, and continues drinking her coffee.  
  
  
  
  
Hyukjae goes by Hyoyeon’s apartment at least three times a week though: Tuesdays and Thursdays for that goddamn early morning general education Philosophy class, and Saturdays, before dance practice.  
  
Every time he knocks at the door, Tiffany is there with a smile that Hyukjae feels is almost more than enough to brighten up dreary mornings.  
  
He starts showing up earlier, and earlier until Hyoyeon notices.  
  
“Did you seriously arrive at my place at 6AM sharp?” She asks. “I live like twenty minutes from campus.”  
  
He shrugs. “I figure if I arrive early, you’ll wake up early too.”  
  
She squints at him, not believing a word he’s saying, but he just grins at her, and she gives up, just shaking her head at him.  
  
She’s very justified in thinking that he’s not being truthful though, because he isn’t. Hyukjae just really likes seeing Tiffany, and Tiffany’s smile, and he likes spending fifteen to twenty minutes with her, even though neither of them ever really says anything.  
  
Silence isn’t really very Hyukjae, but somehow it feels like using his usual lines on Tiffany won’t be enough. He’s learned a few things about her though, like that she grew up in the U.S., and studied there until her first year of high school—a tidbit courtesy of Hyoyeon. She’s pre-med, she likes pink, and she likes her morning coffee with two teaspoons of sugar and lots of creamer (courtesy of his personal deductive skills).  
  
In the end, however, Hyukjae’s talkative nature gets the best of him. Hyoyeon is still in the bathroom, taking her sweet time (and honestly, he won’t be surprised if she’s fallen asleep in there), when he helps himself into their kitchen, because he pretty much knows Hyoyeon’s apartment like the back of his hand. He’s scrambling some eggs for breakfast because he hadn't had the time to make a sandwich before leaving home.  
  
“Hey,” he calls out to her. She’s seated at the table, drinking coffee and reading some huge textbook. She looks over at him, a ready smile on her face. “Want some eggs?”  
  
“Oh! Not if it’s going to be any trouble.” He wonders if she can still see when she smiles as wide like that, and her eyes disappear.  
  
He laughs. “It’s no problem. This is your food, anyway. I’m the one who’s imposing.”  
  
“I’d love some then,” she says. “Please and thank you.”  
  
He takes out a couple more eggs from the fridge, enough for three people. He figures he’ll make cheese omelette for the two of them plus Hyoyeon, who can have her share once she’s done with her bath; it’s one of the few dishes he normally doesn’t botch up.  
  
“How long have you known Hyoyeon?” Tiffany asks him. He didn’t even realise her sneak up to him, that she had been watching him cook.  
  
He blushes at her nearness, or maybe he just feels warm from the heat of the stove.  
  
“Two years now,” he says. He laughs a little, remembering a fond memory. “We met at a club. I thought her dancing was slick.”  
  
Tiffany grins. “She  _does_  know her way around a dance floor doesn’t she?”  
  
Hyukjae nods. “How about you?”  
  
“You mean do I dance?” Tiffany asks.  
  
Hyukjae laughs. “More how about you, how long have  _you_  known Hyoyeon, but sure, do you dance too?”  
  
“I have two left feet,” Tiffany admits, ducking her head in embarrassment, which Hyukjae thinks is the most adorable thing ever. She continues, “I’ve known Hyoyeon since high school though.”  
  
“That’s cute,” Hyukjae says, grinning as he transfers the omelette (not perfect looking but decent enough, and he assumes a hundred percent edible) to a serving plate. “You have to tell me fun stories about awkward little school girl Hyoyeonnie.”  
  
Tiffany laughs, and Hyukjae laughs along. When they turn around, Hyoyeon is standing by the entrance looking at them strangely.  
  
“What’s going on?” She asks, still brushing through her wet hair.  
  
“Hyukjae made breakfast,” Tiffany informs her. “Come on, come on, let’s all have breakfast together before you guys head for school.”  
  
Hyoyeon glances at the clock. “Do we have time?”  
  
“Of course we do,” Hyukjae declares pulling out a chair. “Told you my coming by earlier will pay off.”  
  
Tiffany just smiles at both of them.  
  
  
  
  
“Do you like her?” Hyoyeon asks him all of a sudden.  
  
They’re at the library, trying to do some research for their Philosophy class because exams are coming up, and Hyoyeon gets shushed by someone because her voice is just a little too loud.  
  
“Well do you,” she hisses in a lower tone.  
  
Hyukjae makes a confused face at her. “What are you talking about?” He asks in a hushed voice.  
  
“Tiffany,” Hyoyeon says. “Obviously.”  
  
Hyukjae turns back to the book he was perusing. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”  
  
“Oh fuck my life, Lee Hyukjae, you  _do_  like her!” Hyoyeon exclaims.  
  
Hyukjae’s ears turn pink, and Hyoyeon gets another warning from the librarian.  
  
“Shut up, you don’t know what you’re saying,” Hyukjae mumbles.  
  
Hyoyeon holds back laughter.  
  
  
  
  
Hyukjae finishes school early on Fridays, but he comes home one afternoon and finds himself locked out of his apartment anyway. It’s a very cheap apartment where they bolt their doors instead of having electronic security systems, and Hyukjae had left his key at home earlier that morning. He knew that his roommate, Donghae, was going to take a trip back home to Mokpo during the weekend, but he figures he might still catch him before he leaves so he can borrow Donghae’s key.  
  
He doesn’t. Instead he ends up outside of Hyoyeon and Tiffany’s apartment. He knows Hyoyeon probably won’t get home until late, but he has no idea what Tiffany’s schedule is. He keeps his fingers crossed that he wouldn’t have to wait long.  
  
He stands by their door for around thirty minutes, and then there Tiffany is, a little surprised to see him, but still smiling,  _always_ smiling.  
  
“Hi!” She greets him, entering the security code. “You know Hyoyeon has a class until 7, right?”  
  
He nods. “I just kind of need a place to crash for now,” he explains. “I got locked out of my place.”  
  
Tiffany laughs. “Seriously?”  
  
Hyukjae looks away, and scratches the back of his head, suddenly extremely embarrassed.  
  
“Well come in, then,” Tiffany says, holding the door open for him. “I’m surprised you don’t know the code yet,” she teases.  
  
Hyukjae laughs. “Um. Yeah.”  
  
“Yeah? Yeah you do know?” Tiffany snorts, and Hyukjae is really mesmerised by the way her eyes twinkle all the time.  
  
“Ah, n-no!” He stammers, completely distracted by everything going on with her face. “I don’t,” he says, forcing a laugh. “Thank you for letting me in.”  
  
“No problem,” Tiffany says, taking off her coat, and slinging it over a chair. She smiles at him. “So.”  
  
“So?” Hyukjae waits for more from her.  
  
“So just make yourself at home,” Tiffany says. “Do you want anything to eat?”  
  
“Nah, I’m fine, thanks,” Hyukjae answers.  
  
“Here,” Tiffany says, handing him the TV remote. “I have to finish this paper I’ve been working on the entire week—I have to e-mail it to the professor by 8 tonight, eep!”  
  
She literally says  _eep!_  cradling her cheeks with her hands as she does, and Hyukjae has to bite on his lower lip so he doesn’t say out loud how cute he finds the action to be.  
  
“Thanks,” he says instead. “I’ll be fine here. Good luck with that paper of yours.”  
  
“Thank you, oh my God, school has been killing me,” Tiffany says, her forehead etched with worry lines, but even the way they crease, Hyukjae can’t help but find fascinating. “I’ll be with you if I get it done early—oh God, I hope I get it done on time!”  
  
“Go, go,” Hyukjae laughs, turning her around and guiding her to towards her room. “I’ll be fine on my own.”  
  
He catches reruns of some old dating show, and he gets hooked on that, barely even noticing the time, until he suddenly hears his stomach rumbling. He looks at his watch, and realises it’s already five minutes past 8. He turns around and looks at Tiffany’s door, and then he glances at the kitchen.  
  
Tiffany’s probably still busy with her paper, and the least he can do is provide food. Tiffany’s door suddenly opens though, and she appears. She looks tired, but she perks up immediately when she sees Hyukjae’s eyes on her.  
  
“Are you hungry?” She asks. “I’m starving. Done with my paper though!” She lights up when she says that last part, and Hyukjae unconsciously beams when she does.  
  
“Let’s get pizza,” he says. “I’ll pay since I’ll probably be crashing on your couch tonight.”  
  
Tiffany laughs. “Oh, but by the way, Hyoyeon sent me a message saying she’s going out drinking tonight with a couple of friends.”  
  
Oh right, Hyoyeon. Hyukjae realises he hasn’t even called or texted to tell her he’ll be crashing for the night, maybe even the entire weekend. He rummages through his bag for his phone, but when he flips it open he realises that the batteries are dead.  
  
He groans.  
  
“For the pizza?” Tiffany asks, shoving him a little so she can squeeze in next to him on the couch. “Here,” she says holding out her phone. “Use mine.”  
  
Hyukjae realises she’s more comfortable with him now. Or  _he’s_  more comfortable now, and maybe she has just been waiting for him to talk to her all this time. Either way, it’s different from when they spent completely silent mornings together, waiting for Hyoyeon to get ready for school.  
  
He takes her phone, and dials the Pizza Hut number, memorised by heart due to many nights of foregoing proper food in favor of instant junk. Tiffany takes over the TV as he places an order, perusing the channels until she finds an American show that she settles on.  
  
It’s not subtitled, and it all sounds gibberish to Hyukjae. “What’s that?” He asks.  
  
“Gossip Girl,” Tiffany informs him. “Nate is really pretty.”  
  
“Which one is he?” Hyukjae asks.  
  
Tiffany points out the blonde with big blue eyes and pretty lashes.  
  
“Oh he  _is_  pretty,” Hyukjae admits. He sinks a little lower on the couch, realising that that’s the kind of guy Tiffany goes for.  
  
The credits are rolling when their food finally arrives, and it dawns on Hyukjae that he forgot to ask Tiffany what flavor she’d wanted. He feels dumb.  
  
“I got half Hawaiian, and half pepperoni,” he tells opening the boxes. “That’s what Hyoyeon and I usually get, I hope it’s okay with you?”  
  
She nods, smiling as she transfers a piece to a plate. “No problem.”  
  
Hyukjae stares at her. “You’re not one of those people who eat pizza with a fork and a knife, right?”  
  
“Um?” Tiffany laughs; she had just taken one step towards the cabinet where they kept utensils.  
  
“Come on,” Hyukjae says, grabbing her and pulling her back. He’s surprised at his own boldness. “It’s more fun if you just hold the slice with your hand, and take a huge, satisfying bite directly.”  
  
Tiffany is laughing as he demonstrates his point in exaggerated manner. “You have pizza sauce on your chin.”  
  
Hyukjae uncouthly wipes his chin with the sleeve of his shirt, and Tiffany’s makes such a face at that.  
  
“You’re such a boy!” She exclaims, bursting into peals of laughter.  
  
Hyukjae laughs back, and it’s not sure if that was a good or bad thing, what she said, but they’re both happy, so he figures best to just to go along.  
  
  
  
  
“Um, so I have this killer anatomy final I should probably study for,” Tiffany begins to tell him. They’re done eating, and they’re just cleaning up after themselves in the kitchen.  
  
“Oh, you should go ahead,” Hyukjae tells her. “I’ll finish up here.”  
  
“Oh no, no!” Tiffany shakes her head. “It’s not that. I was just about to say that I feel like I deserve a break after finishing that god-awful paper. Do you want to watch a movie with me?”  
  
Hyukjae almost blurts out,  _like a date?!_  but thankfully he does not, because the next words out of Tiffany’s mouth are,  
  
“—because I have some DVDs in my room I’ve been itching to watch.”  
  
The DVDs turn out to be a set of old 1980’s films.  
  
“American movies?” Hyukjae asks incredulously.  
  
Tiffany laughs. “They’re Korean subtitled, I promise! Go on, you can choose which we’re going to watch.”  
  
Hyukjae is apprehensive, but he chooses the one called  _Breakfast Club_  because he figures you can never go wrong with food. But then the movie ends up having nothing to do with food at all; Hyukjae enjoys it anyway, because Tiffany would quote some of the lines under breath, in cute, perfect English.  
  
“John Bender is dreamy,” Tiffany comments at the end of the film, her eyes twinkling with extra joy. Hyukjae frowns, because between the pretty boy from earlier, and now this hoodlum, he doesn’t understand what her ideal type is.  
  
They start  _Pretty in Pink_  after that, and Hyukjae notices that she starts tearing up during the scene where the movie’s lead character and her father.  
  
“Hey, you okay?” He asks softly, and Tiffany nods, breaking out into a smile.  
  
“I’m good,” she says. “It’s just that the scene is so sweet and heart-warming, and they work everything out in the end you know?”  
  
Hyukjae snorts, but he thinks she looks so adorably fragile during that moment. He offers her his sleeve to cry on because he has no handkerchief on him.  
  
“Ew!” She cries out, laughing in between sniffled, and slapping his arm. “Didn’t you use that to wipe food stains earlier?”  
  
Hyukjae laughs. “That was the other sleeve!”  
  
Tiffany makes a face at him, crinkling her nose and sticking her tongue out at him. She produces a hanky from her pocket. “Never mind,” she says, blowing her nose on it. “I come prepared when I watch this movie.”  
  
“Ew, snot,” Hyukjae retorts, earning him another smack on the arm.  
  
The movie after is called  _Some Kind of Wonderful_ , and Hyukjae is starting to get the theme in all the movies. Tiffany is a romantic, he realises, although he inwardly slaps himself, because that should’ve been obvious from the get-go.  
  
Tiffany falls asleep fifteen minutes into the movie however, and Hyukjae doesn’t have the heart to wake her up when she’s looking so peaceful and precious, so he just concentrates on the movie. Her head slowly falls, until she looks like she’s sleeping at an unfortunate angle, so Hyukjae lays her head on his shoulder.  
  
Five minutes later though, her head slides off, and Hyukjae just sighs. He puts a throw pillow on his lap, and gently moves her so she’s lying in a more comfortable position, with him cradling her head.  
  
He can’t help but stare at her; he has to make a mental effort to look away and concentrate on the film again. He falls asleep himself before the movie is over, and he dreams that Keith and Amanda live happily ever after, and Watts is absolutely happy for them.  
  
Hyoyeon finds them like that. Tiffany curled up on the couch, and with Hyukjae’s head angled funny.  
  
“Hrmafhgfj?” Hyukjae groans when Hyoyeon shakes him awake. “Huh?”  
  
“It’s 2AM, what are you doing here?” Hyoyeon asks. “What’s going on?”  
  
Tiffany stirs, and Hyukjae and Hyoyeon both turn to look at her as she stretches her arms, and opens her eyes.  
  
“Oh Hyoyeon, you’re home!” Even in her groggy state, she still smiles so brightly.  
  
“Why’s he here?” Hyoyeon asks again, nudging her towards Hyukjae. She turns to him again. “Why are you here?”  
  
“Oh,” Tiffany blinks. She looks at Hyukjae. “I thought you told her.”  
  
Hyukjae scratches his head, and rubs his eyes. “My phone’s dead remember?” Hyukjae tells Tiffany. And to Hyoyeon, “I got locked out of my place, so I crashed. It’s okay right?”  
  
Hyoyeon shrugs. “The rest of the guys were looking for you tonight. I tried calling but I guess your phone’s been dead for hours.”  
  
Hyukjae nods. “Yeah, sorry. We were watching movies and we fell asleep.”  
  
Tiffany smiles at Hyoyeon. “There’s leftover pizza for you.”  
  
Hyoyeon snorts. “I’ll eat that for breakfast. Come on, Tiff, go sleep in your room.”  
  
She helps Tiffany up, who grins at Hyukjae and warmly tells him, “Have sweet dreams.”  
  
Hyukjae grins and nods at her, and Hyoyeon just gives them both weird looks.  
  
  
  
  
“Why do you like Tiffany?” Hyoyeon asks Hyukjae.  
  
They’re hanging out quietly in between finals, with Hyukjae trying to cram as many readings he can during the break.  
  
“What—huh?” He stares at Hyoyeon.  
  
She looks straight back at him, waiting for an answer, expression unflinching.  
  
“Well.” Hyukjae blows out some air.  
  
“Is it because she’s pretty?” Hyoyeon asks. There’s a lilt in her voice, and she’s biting down on her lip, almost like she’s afraid to hear his answer.  
  
Hyukjae smiles. “She  _is_  pretty, isn’t she? Very pretty.”  
  
“So that’s it?” Hyoyeon asks.  
  
“I guess it started from that,” Hyukjae admits. “But she intrigues me. She makes me want to know more about her.”  
  
Hyoyeon plays with the cap of her water bottle. “Then you should ask.”  
  
“Ask?”  
  
“Tiffany,” Hyoyeon clarifies. “Ask her about her life.”  
  
  
  
  
Summer rolls in, and Hyukjae plants himself on Hyoyeon and Tiffany’s couch as soon as Donghae leaves Seoul for home.  
  
“You have central air-conditioning,” he tells them. “I sweat buckets if I stay at home even an hour. I already sweat buckets during dance practice, Hyo, do you want me to dehydrate?”  
  
Hyoyeon rolls her eyes and lets him be.  
  
He slowly learns more about Tiffany. Like how she loves to cook, but Hyoyeon always tries to get her to stay away from the kitchen, because her attempts are always disastrous. Also how she always keeps a Bible in the cabinet of her bedside table, and how she reads a short passage off of it every night before going to sleep. Apparently she also diligently attends a church youth group every Sunday, which makes Hyukjae feel a little guilty because he used to do the same when he was younger but somehow that just fell off his list of priorities.  
  
He learns mundane details about her past too, like her first boyfriend (met in Church, back in L.A., when she was 13), and her first kiss (another boyfriend, right before she left the US for the first time).  
  
He also learns that her mother died a few years ago, and that Tiffany keeps her ashes in an urn that doesn’t really look like an urn, on display for everyone to see on a stand by the living room corridor. He only knows because she always touches it before leaving the apartment, as if it’s some sort of habitual prayer. Tiffany never really talks about it, or brings it up, and it’s the only thing Hyukjae can’t bring himself to ask about.  
  
  
  
  
“So your dance crew is joining this dance competition at the end of the summer?” Tiffany is reading through the psychedelic looking flyer Hyoyeon and Hyukjae had brought home.  
  
“Mhm, so now we’re all working our asses off for the grand prize,” Hyoyeon says, lying down on the couch, and setting her head on Tiffany’s lap. “All my joints hurt.”  
  
“It’s going to be worth it when we win,” Hyukjae says, ever the optimist. “I mean, even if we just place, the chances of an agency seeing us dance you know? We can be signed as early as 3 months from now! And come on, learning to philosophise is fun and all, but dancing is what I want to do with my life.”  
  
“Well it better work out like that,” Hyoyeon mutters. “I just want to sleep throughout tomorrow. I got really out of shape and out of practice after weeks of cramming for finals.”  
  
Hyukjae laughs, and Tiffany pats her head. “You guys will win, I’m sure of it,” she chirps enthusiastically.  
  
“You haven’t even seen him dance,” Hyoyeon comments, nodding towards Hyukjae.  
  
“Hey!” Hyukjae cries out, throwing a pillow at her.  
  
“Why, is he bad?” Tiffany asks, her mouth forming a perfect ‘o.’  
  
Hyoyeon laughs, and Hyukjae frowns.  
  
“He’s good,” Hyoyeon says. “You should go and watch the competition.”  
  
“I’ll be your loudest cheerleader!”  
  
Hyukjae has to grin at that.  
  
  
  
  
He shows up one morning at their place, and when Tiffany opens the door, her eyes grow big, and she bursts out into a fit of giggles.  
  
“Is it that bad?” He asks, frowning, his hand consciously flying up to touch his hair.  
  
“You’re blonde!” Tiffany squeals.  
  
“Um, yeah. Thanks for pointing out the obvious,” he mutters.  
  
Tiffany laughs. “No, I’m just surprised! When Hyoyeonnie came home last night with the same dye job, she told me that all of the members of your crew are doing it as a gimmick for the upcoming competition but somehow it never occurred to me that  _you_  would do it too!”  
  
“Is it really bad?” Hyukjae frowns, nervous and fidgety and all sorts of uneasy. He’d gone to see his high school best friend the previous night after having his hair done, and Junsu could barely stop laughing the entire time they were together.  
  
Tiffany grins at him, her eyes softened by a sort of fondness. She instinctively reaches to pet his hair. “It looks good on you. Your hair looks adorably floppy.” She threads her fingers through some of his locks, her smile never wavering.  
  
“Thanks,” he says, letting out a sigh of relief.  
  
He smiles back at her, and then a sudden wave of awkwardness takes over and Tiffany hastily retracts her hand.  
  
“Um, anyway, come on in,” Tiffany tells him. Her expression looks strange. “Hyoyeon’s in her room, but I think she’s finished getting ready. You know which door is hers.”  
  
Hyukjae watches as she walks back to the sofa, curling up with one of the throw pillows and switches television channels. He wonders what just happened there.  
  
  
  
  
A couple of weeks into the summer, they take a break from gruelling dance practice, and the dance group that Hyoyeon and Hyukjae belong to decide to plan a fun beach trip.  
  
“Everyone needs to take a time to relax,” their captain says. “You know, before dance boot camp begins.”  
  
Hyukjae suggests to Hyoyeon that bring Tiffany along because “we can’t just leave her all alone by herself for an entire weekend, can we?” Hyoyeon relents because Hyukjae gives her pleading puppy dog eyes, and Tiffany is her roommate and friend anyway.  
  
Tiffany gets along with everyone perfectly, and the smile that Hyukjae likes so much practically never leaves her face. At least until evening arrives, and while everyone else is playing with fireworks and drinking around a bonfire, Hyukjae notices Tiffany sneak off by herself.  
  
He can’t help himself—he jogs after her.  
  
“Hey.” Tiffany smiles at him when she notices his presence. “You’re not drinking with the others?”  
  
“I don’t really drink,” Hyukjae admits. “Do you?”  
  
Tiffany laughs. “I can actually hold my liquor pretty well, believe it or not.”  
  
“Oh. Do you wanna—?” Hyukjae motions going back to the group.  
  
Tiffany smiles at him again. “I’m the one who slipped away to be alone right?”  
  
“ _Oh_. I guess this is my cue to leave you alone, ahaha,” Hyukjae forces an awkward laugh, taking one step backwards.  
  
“No, no,” Tiffany protests, grabbing a hold of one of Hyukjae’s arms. “I don’t mind.” She smiles. It’s still pretty, her smile, Hyukjae thinks, but also a little sad.  
  
“Is something wrong?” He asks, worried.  
  
Tiffany shakes her head. “No. The ocean breeze is nice don’t you think?”  
  
Hyukjae nods. He’s still worried. Tiffany stops walking and takes a seat on the sand, pulling Hyukjae down with her.  
  
“Sit with me,” she tells him. So he does. She pulls her knees up, and hugs them close to her body. “It’s my birthday tomorrow.”  
  
“Oh! Oh, really?” Hyukjae feels like an idiot for not knowing. “We should celebrate then!”  
  
Tiffany smiles, drawing on the sand with her finger. “I miss my mother,” she whispers. “And my father. I miss family.”  
  
“You should call him,” Hyukjae suggests.  
  
“He should call me don’t you think? It’s my birthday after all.”  
  
“Oh, right.” Hyukjae feels like an idiot again.  
  
“Did Hyoyeon tell you about me?” She asks him.  
  
“Not about your family,” Hyukjae answers.  
  
Tiffany takes a deep breath. “You know that my mother died a few years ago?”  
  
Hyukjae nods. He knows. Cancer.  
  
“When I was younger, I wanted to be a singer. My father wanted me to be a doctor,” Tiffany pauses. “My mother just wanted me to be happy.” She laughs, and it sounds a little bittersweet. “Ah, oh my God this sounds so cliche!”  
  
Hyukjae snorts, but he smiles at her encouragingly. “Just a little,” he teases. “But go on.”  
  
“We moved here after she died, when I was in high school. That’s when I met Hyoyeon. “ She smiles at that, genuinely happy at the memory of her and Hyoyeon from the past. “When we got here, it’s stupid but I got really immersed in the idol culture. They all seemed so accessible you know? And I wanted to be just like them. My father and I got into fights all the time. I was never really book smart. I got fairly average grades, and he kept blaming it all on me spending all my free time hanging out with friends at noraebang instead of at cram school like all the top-notchers at school. I auditioned for a company once.”  
  
“What happened?”  
  
“I passed the first screening,” Tiffany says, grinning. “I never got to go to the second part of the process though, because my father wouldn’t let me. That made me so, so,  _so_  angry. I just... singing made me happy you know?”  
  
Hyukjae nods. “I get it.”  
  
“You and dancing right?” Tiffany asks.  
  
Hyukjae grins. “Yeah, I guess. Actually, yes. Definitely  _yes_.”  
  
Tiffany laughs. “My father didn’t get that. After I graduated high school, we moved back to the U.S., so I can go to college there. But I hated my father then, to be honest. I didn’t really want to go back. I didn’t want to study, I just wanted to sing.”  
  
“So why are you here now?” Hyukjae asks.  
  
“That’s what makes this all so stupid and funny at the same time. Back at home, I went to community college for like a year, while taking on as may part time jobs as I can so I can buy a ticket to go back here. I already had some money from my grandmother, but I figured I needed to cover at least a year’s cost of living,” Tiffany explains.  
  
“But now you’re studying pre-med.”  
  
“I went to an audition as soon as I got here,” Tiffany says. “And I sang for a panel, and they gave me constructive criticism, but I think I did well enough. But then I go back home, and I lived in such a dinky, one room flat then, and I just started bawling. I didn’t really understand then, but singing just didn’t make me happy anymore. I moped around for weeks, and let me tell you—it wasn’t pretty at all.”  
  
“I’m sure you were still pretty,” Hyukjae murmurs. Even under just moonlight, he could swear she blushes.  
  
“Anyway,” she interjects. “I started reflecting on the past year, and I realised that my community college classes weren’t so bad. When I was here, back in high school, I took the CSAT, so I kind of tried to work everything out so I can enter a university, and now here I am.”  
  
“Do you like your studies?” Hyukjae asks.  
  
Tiffany laughs. “It’s so hard, some things are just so complicated and some things just make my head  _turn_ , but you know what? I like it. I like the idea of becoming a doctor.” She pauses, giggling. “Maybe one day I’ll find the cure for cancer.”  
  
Hyukjae laughs. “What a motivation.”  
  
Tiffany smiles. “I still miss my father though. We haven’t really talked in over a year.”  
  
“Does he know what you’re doing here now?” Hyukjae asks.  
  
“He does,” Tiffany nods. “He’s paying for part of my tuition now, even though I still have to pay for a third of it, not to mention rent. I think he just really doesn’t know what to say to me. My sister says he feels guilty for forcing me away from my dreams, but this is really my dream now. But I don’t really know how to talk to him and tell him that either.”  
  
“I’m sure you’ll work things out in the end,” Hyukjae assures her. He wishes he could say more than that because it sounds so empty somehow, so generic. She smiles at him gratefully, and all he can do is return the affection.   
  
“Thanks,” Tiffany says to him. “And I’m so sorry for dumping all of this on you. I don’t even know why I just told you all of that—there’s something about your face, I guess. You look like you can be trusted.”  
  
Hyukjae laughs, slapping his cheeks lightly. “Really? I don’t get that a lot.”  
  
Tiffany laughs back. “Really though, thank you,” she repeats.  
  
Hyukjae shrugs. “Happy to listen.”  
  
They sit quietly for a while, staring at the ocean gently rippling. Hyukjae takes a deep breath.  
  
“Tiffany,” he says, turning towards her.  
  
When she looks back at him, Hyukjae leans in and kisses the corner of her mouth. Tiffany is visibly surprised, and she initially stiffens, but then she relaxes, and Hyukjae grips her shoulder, angling his face so he can kiss her properly.  
  
But then she pulls away, curling up, tucking her head under her chin, and hugging her entire body. “I can’t,” she whispers.  
  
“Oh shit, I’m sorry,” Hyukjae says, a little frantic. He realises he that he just obviously stepped over an invisible boundary. “I’m so fucking sorry. I didn’t mean to... take advantage of the situation or anything. I’m really sorry, shit, I—”  
  
He stands up, dusting himself off sand. “I’ll leave you alone now,” he says. “I really am sorry, Tiffany.”  
  
Tiffany grabs the hem of his shirt before he could walk away.  
  
“I’m not angry,” she says. “It’s just that... Hyoyeon is in love with you.”  
  
There are no words to describe the look on Hyukjae’s face at that.  
  
  
  
  
Hyukjae tries really hard to act normal, but it’s hard around Tiffany. Fortunately, he doesn’t really have a lot of free time to hang out anymore, because he and his dance team start practicing almost 24/7.  
  
When he drops by to pick Hyoyeon up, Tiffany will smile at him politely, but he can’t help but notice that her smiles never really reaches her eyes anymore. Hyukjae never shows up extra early either, and at most they spend five minutes of awkward silence together. Neither of them mention anything about what she had told him about Hyoyeon.  
  
But then it happens.  
  
He and Hyoyeon are at a convenience store, picking out snacks for the entire crew. They’d volunteered because it was a chance to take a break, and Hyoyeon was really exhausted and she’d dragged Hyukjae along with her.  
  
She’s picking between two brands of choco pie, when Hyukjae just blurts it out.  
  
“Are you in love with me?”  
  
Hyoyeon’s head snaps towards him immediately, her eyes wide, and her mouth agape. Hyukjae blinks at her.  
  
“Never mind,” he mutters after a few seconds. “Forget I said that. Of course you’re not. You’re my friend, we’re friends. Pals.  _Bros_.”  
  
He starts walking to the counter with his basket of goodies, and Hyoyeon follows him. They pay the cashier, and eat their ice lollies on the way back to the dance room.  
  
“Hyukjae, yes,” Hyoyeon says, grabbing his arm before they enter the building. She takes a deep breath. “Yes, I think I'm in love with you.”  
  
Hyukjae almost chokes on his own saliva as he watches Hyoyeon walk into the building ahead of him.  
  
  
  
  
He stops coming by Hyoyeon and Tiffany’s apartment.  
  
Hyukjae isn’t sure how he could face either of them anymore. True, he still sees Hyoyeon every day at the practice room, but at least there he can use dancing as an excuse and as an outlet to release all his frustration and confusion.  
  
He starts leaving the training room last every night, because for now this is really all he has, and all he can do. He finds Hyoyeon waiting for him outside one night.  
  
“Can we talk?” She asks.  
  
He stares at her, for some reason at a loss for words to say even to a simple yes or no question. He’s baffled—it used to be so easy to talk to her. He opens his mouth to say something, but then Hyoyeon is suddenly kissing him, so wanting, that he has to take an involuntarily step backwards to reel from the surprise.  
  
His arms go around her tiny back, and he almost kisses back, but then he stops himself.  
  
“I’m sorry,” she says, pulling away as well and taking a deep breath.  
  
“It’s okay,” Hyukjae shrugs, staring at the floor.  
  
“Can we still talk?” Hyoyeon asks.  
  
Hyukjae looks up at her, and she looks so dejected, so far from the usual Hyoyeon he knows. How can he refuse her like that? “Okay.”  
  
They sit at the steps of the building where their team rents out a dance practice room. Hyoyeon unwraps a chocolate bar and offers Hyukjae a piece, which he accepts.  
  
“Sorry about earlier,” she says, taking a bite out of the chocolate. “I plead momentary insanity.”  
  
“It’s okay.” Hyukjae shrugs.  
  
Hyoyeon sighs. “I miss you.”  
  
“I miss you too,” Hyukjae says, and as he does, he realises that he genuinely means it.  
  
“Can we go back to like things were before?” Hyoyeon asks.  
  
“I want to,” Hyukjae answers. “Can we?”  
  
“I can try,” Hyoyeon asks.  
  
“Then I will too.” Hyukjae grins at her.  
  
Suddenly, Hyoyeon bends over and hides her face in her bag. Hyukjae hears sniffling.  
  
“A-are you crying?” He asks, awkwardly reaching out for her. He stops himself though. He’s not sure if physically comforting her will help their case, or worsen it.  
  
She stays like that for a while, and Hyukjae just watches worried. Her eyes are red and swollen when she straightens back up—she attempts to wipe the tear stains on her face with her shirt collar.  
  
“I’m not sure I can do it,” she admits, her voice almost breaking.  
  
“Hyo,” Hyukjae frowns, not knowing what to say.  
  
“But maybe we can start over again after I successfully fall out of love with you?” Hyoyeon whispers.  
  
Hyukjae smiles. It’s bittersweet, and resigned, but genuine. “I’d like that.”  
  
“Hyukjae,” Hyoyeon whispers again.  
  
“Hm?”  
  
“I'm not your  _bro_ ,” she says softly.  
  
Hyukjae laughs lowly. “I know that now.”  
  
  
  
  
They smile at each other during practice and discuss choreography together, but they stop spending time together outside of the dance room. Hyukjae feels like he lost a limb somehow, but he ignores it, because he knows that somehow, eventually, one day he’ll get it back.  
  
He just has to bear it for now.  
  
Hyukjae is more worried about Tiffany. He still thinks about her, wondering if her smiles are reaching her eyes again.  
  
One Sunday morning, he wakes up early, and finds his carton of milk empty. He thinks about heading for a quick run to the convenience store, because he needs milk with his cereal  _damnit_ , but when he opens the door he finds Tiffany there, poised to start knocking.  
  
She’s surprised, and so is he, and they stand there blinking at each other for a few seconds.  
  
“Hi,” she greets him finally, her mouth curving upwards, and her eyes turning into the familiar crescents that fascinate Hyukjae so much.  
  
“Hey,” he returns.  
  
“Do you want to go to church with me?” Tiffany blurts outs.  
  
“Um. Right now?” Hyukjae looks down at himself. He’s still in his pyjamas.  
  
Tiffany shrugs. “I can wait while you shower and get ready.”  
  
“Oh. Well,” Hyukjae looks at her, staring back at him expectantly. “Okay.”  
  
He lets her in, and she looks around. “Wow your place is surprisingly very... clean. And orderly.”  
  
Hyukjae laughs. “I get annoyed and disoriented when things aren’t in their right place,” he explains.  
  
Tiffany snorts. She looks at him. “My father called me,” she informs him.  
  
Hyukjae blinks. “That's nice,” he says with a smile. “I'm happy for you.”  
  
“Me too. I'm happy,” she smiles. And then she orders with a grin, “Okay, go now, take a bath.”  
  
  
  
  
They go to McDonald’s after the early morning mass. Hyukjae scarfs his food down quickly, and then watches while she finishes hers daintily.  
  
“So did you want to talk about something?” He asks her when she’s done and she’s just sipping on her juice.  
  
“Like what?” She asks back.  
  
He shrugs. “You’re the one who showed up at my apartment at 7 in the morning,” he points out.  
  
Tiffany smiles. “Let’s take a walk,” she says, standing up and gathering her things.  
  
“Should I walk you home?” He asks after following her outside.  
  
“Hyoyeon’s there,” she simply says.  
  
“Oh,” he hangs his head low. “Right.”  
  
“Will you two ever work things out?” She asks.  
  
“Yes,” Hyukjae answers confidently. “Eventually.”  
  
Tiffany smiles. “I like that you sound so sure.”  
  
Hyukjae just shrugs. He’s the kind of person who believes that no friendship should ever go to waste.  
  
“She’ll make a great girlfriend to someone. She’s just so... bright and uplifting,” Tiffany says, smiling wistfully. “She’ll be the type to dote on her partner. She’s a good cook too, but you already know that right?”  
  
Hyukjae laughs. “I do. I bet she'll even make a great wife,” he misses a beat, and turns to look at Tiffany, “to someone else.”  
  
Tiffany takes a deep breath. “Right,” she says.  
  
Hyukjae smiles, so Tiffany smiles, and then they just walk silently. He’s not sure where they’re headed exactly, and maybe they’re just really walking around in circles, but Hyukjae doesn’t want to bring it up because he just wants to spend more time with her.  
  
“I still like you,” Hyukjae suddenly says. “Like  _that_. You’re the one I like. In  _that_  way. I mean.  _You know._ ”  
  
Tiffany just smiles. And then Hyukjae feels her slip her hand into his, weaving their fingers together. “Me too,” she says softly.  
  
Despite himself, Hyukjae can’t stop the wide grin forming on his face. He feels absolutely ecstatic.  
  
  
  
  
At the end of the summer, their dance crew wins third place in the competition, but they all feel like winners anyway because their captain is talking to some agent who liked their performance and had nothing but praises for their choreography.  
  
Hyukjae watches from afar as Tiffany gives Hyoyeon a tight congratulatory hug. And then Tiffany is walking towards him, practically pouncing on him when she gives him his very own congratulations. He hugs her tightly, as tight as his skinny arms can manage, and she gives him a loud, wet smack on his cheek.  
  
He catches Hyoyeon looking at them from afar, and he nods at her and gives her a little wave. Hyoyeon grins at him, and nods as an acknowledgment.  
  
Tiffany pulls away, and turns to wave and smile at Hyoyeon as well.  
  
“By the way, she says to tell you we both should go to the after party,” Tiffany tells him, smiling widely. Her are eyes are sparkling brightly. “Together. And that we should sit next to her.”  
  
Hyukjae laughs, and squeezes Tiffany’s hand. His smile probably looks incredibly goofy, but that's fine; the world is beginning to feel right again.

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> bonus: [cuties](https://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ltp1o3bnul1qd5lr2.gif).


End file.
